Once an idea is planted into your mind, it can never be undone. Just as Copernicus introduced the idea that the world was not flat, it began to manifest in the scientific community even if it was simply to disprove it. Ideas are planted everywhere in the world around us, but one language that is universal is the language of music.
Imagine this. It’s Friday night and you’re in your ultimate relaxation mode and ready to watch a new horror movie. Fast forward to thirty minutes into the movie and you notice that as a character starts to walk upstairs you feel your heart beat speed up as you feel a rush of goose bumps spread like wildfire throughout your body. Your reaction is caused by the “creak creak” sound from the stairs that is tied with the eerie background music, and you feel your body tense up in the moment of suspense. Sure enough, twenty-two seconds later, some sort of supernatural presence sent from hell pops out of nowhere and reaffirms your preconceived fears. When we dig even deeper into this sensation it comes to our attention that by planting the creepy soundtrack at the start of the scene, an idea was also planted into our mind to be aware of an upcoming danger.
In other words, its influence changed not only our perception but also how we felt about the situation. It’s not rocket science to comprehend the fact that musical vibrations heighten the intensity of our emotions. That’s why when you’re sad, listening to a sad song is comforting because the singer’s words seem to really speak to your soul. Why is any of this important? It’s important because music has the sole purpose of defining our emotional understanding of a world cultivated from logic and rationality. To be aware of this truth is to also recognize how its influence is abused in our society. For example, if you were to go to one of the hottest night clubs in Los Angeles, you will witness a real life freak show of women obediently shaking their ass to music that shouts, “I wanna see you move, let me see that ass shake.” And this freak show continues
to thrive despite its degrading nature because, women love it–conditionally. I say conditionally because if they were to hear the same words as a verbal statement, they would slap on their feminist boots and call you every offense name under the sun. But here’s the thing. Although it’s great that a woman will at least defend her self-respect in her work atmosphere, it doesn’t change the fact that the idea of objectifying women continues to manifest and condition young girls growing up.
The point I’m trying to make is not to tell you what you should or should not listen to. I’m just trying to shed light on how awareness of what you choose to listen to everyday should not be taken so lightly. Because our tendency towards rationalizing a situation can serve to be the very opposite of how we may feel on an emotionally level. It is okay to be picky about what you want to hear. Take time to find music that appeals to you as an individual and artist.
Blog By Belinda Kil